take shape

idiomatic phrase

: to assume a definite or distinctive form : to develop and become apparent or established
The plan is finally taking shape.
Edison's tireless work habits took shape during his childhood …Paul Gray
The proto-planetary fragments crashed together, coalesced by gravity, and crashed again into other fragments, until they gradually took shape as the planets we know today.M. Mitchell Waldrop
… the first half of the century, before the modern medical system took shape.Geoffrey Cowley

Examples of take shape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At Siemens, the future of chip verification is already taking shape—where intelligence works hand in hand with intuition, and new ideas find their way to silicon faster than ever before. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2025 Yet long before venture capital and social media defined the region, an older kind of innovation was quietly taking shape at its southern edge. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025 How long after Steve’s death did the idea for Steve Albini’s Closet begin to take shape? Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2025 Bailey believes Tubby was only around three weeks old when she was rescued, as her eyes weren’t colored yet and her ears hadn’t taken shape. Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for take shape

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take shape was in 1560

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Cite this Entry

“Take shape.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20shape. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

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